§ . ' V * 


— TS?  ■ . 'T* 
' ■ ' r ' »" 


A 


SERMON, 


DELIVERED  IN  PARK  STREET  CHURCH,  AUGUST  25,  1825. 


AT  TUB 


OF  TUE 


Rev.  Messrs.  ELNATHAN  GRIDLEY, 
SAMUEL  AUSTIN  WORCESTER. 


iRtsstonartfS  to  titc  heathen.- 


BY  LEONARD  WORCESTER. 


Pastor  of  a Church  in  Pcacham , Vt . 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  CROCKER  & BREWSTER, 
No.  SO  Cornhill. 


AND 


1825. 


Romans  i,  14,  15. 


I AM  DEBTOR  BOTH  TO  THE  GREEKS  AND  TO  THE  BARBARIANS,  BOTH 
TO  THE  WISE  AND  TO  THE  UNWISE.  SO,  AS  MUCH  AS  IN  ME  IS,  I AM 
READY  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL  TO  YOU  THAT  ARE  AT  ROME  ALSO. 

Paul,  the  inspired  author  of  this  epistle,  was  a most 
illustrious  monument  of  “the  grace  of  God  which 
bringeth  salvation,”  and  a most  illustrious  publisher 
of  the  gospel  of  this  grace  to  others.  When  it  had 
pleased  God  to  reveal  his  Son  in  him,  and  to  show 
him  his  salvation,  a deep  and  abiding  sense  of  obliga- 
tion for  the  wonderful  grace  bestowed  on  him  was 
indelibly  impressed  upon  his  mind,  and  became  a 
principle  of  active  and  unwearied  exertion  in  the  cause 
of  Christ,  and  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow  men.  In 
his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  this  sense  of  obli- 
gation is  thus  emphatically  expressed:  “For  though  I 
preach  the  gospel,  I have  nothing  to  glory  of;  for 
necessity  is  laid  upon  me;  yea,  wo  is  unto  me,  if  I 
preach  not  the  gospel.”  So,  in  the  passage  to  which 
I have  now  invited  your  attention,  he  expresses  him- 
self with  similar  emphasis.  “I  am  debtor  both  to  the 
Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians,  both  to  the  wise  and  to 
the  unwise.  So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,  I am  ready  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  you  that  are  at  Rome  also.” 


4 


“/  am  debtor .”  Already  had  Paul  been  employed 
as  a Missionary  of  the  cross,  more  than  twenty  years, 
with  a devotedness  and  zeal,  and  subjected  to  trials 
and  persecutions,  perhaps  never  equalled.  Constrained 
to  recount  his  labors  and  sufferings,  he  had  already 
said,  “Five  times  have  I received  of  the  Jews  forty 
stripes,  save  one.  Thrice  was  I beaten  with  rods, 
once  was  I stoned,  thrice  I suffered  shipwreck,  a night 
and  a day  I have  been  in  the  deep.  In  journeyings 
often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils 
by  mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen, 
in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in 
perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren;  in 
weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often,  in  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  naked- 
ness.” Yet  Paul  disclaiming  all  grounds  for  boasting, 
acknowledges  himself  debtor  still.  “Debtor  to  the 
Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians,  to  the  wise  and  to  the 
unwise,”  to  strangers  as  well  as  to  intimate  acquaint- 
ances, to  enemies  as  well  as  to  friends,  to  persons  of 
all  descriptions,  and  in  every  place;  so  that,  to  the 
utmost  of  his  ability,  he  was  ready  to  do  them  good  as 
he  had  opportunity;  ready,  especially,  to  make  known 
to  them  the  exceeding  riches  of  that  grace,  which 
had  been  manifested  in  his  own  salvation,  and  w ithout 
which  there  could  be  no  salvation  for  them. 

But,  how  w as  Paul  brought  thus  deeply  in  debt? 
It  was,  my  brethren,  by  the  infinite  kindness  and  grace 
of  God.  As  a man  of  superior  natural  endow  ments 
and  distinguished  attainments,  and  highly  privileged 
by  his  birth  and  education,  Paul  w as  deeply  indebted 
to  the  abundant  goodness  of  God.  But  these  were 


small  favors,  compared  with  that  infinite  grace,  which 
had  plucked  him  as  “a  brand  out  of  the  burning,” 
and  formed  him  a “vessel  of  mercy  prepared  unto 
glory.”  Here,  “the  grace  of  our  Lord  was  exceeding 
abundant.”  Though,  before  his  conversion,  Paul 
was  “of  the  stock  of  Israel,  an  Hebrew  of  the  He- 
brews; as  touching  the  law,  a Pharisee;”  and  “as 
touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law,  blame- 
less;” he  was,  nevertheless,  a sinner,  under  condemna- 
tion, and  exposed  to  endless  death.  But  God,  in 
great  mercy,  interposed,  and  laid  help  on  one,  who  is 
mighty  to  save.  Yes,  he  gave  his  own  beloved  Son 
out  of  his  bosom,  that  he  might  be  wounded  for  the 
transgressions,  and  bruised  for  the  iniquities  of  Paul, 
let,  when  salvation  was  most  graciously  offered  to 
him,  through  this  glorious  Saviour,  it  was  most  un- 
gratefully despised  and  rejected.  He  would  not  come 
unto  Christ,  that  he  might  have  life.  He  was  even 
“a  blasphemer,  a persecutor,  and  injurious.”  He  was 
just  “ready  to  perish.”  But  God  had  mercy  still;  and 
even  while  Paul  was  thus  madly  rushing  onward  to 
eternal  ruin,  he  was  arrested,  convinced  of  sin,  and 
made  a subject  of  renewing  grace.  His  heart  of  stone 
was  taken  away,  and  an  heart  of  flesh  was  given,  and 
he  was  made  an  “heir  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life.”  “Being  justified  by  faith,”  he  had  “peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  In  view 
of  the  astonishing  grace,  thus  bestowed  on  one  so 
ill-deserving,  Paul  himself  exclaims,  with  grateful 
admiration,  “This  is  a faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of 
all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,  of  whom  l am  chief.”  Paul,  there- 


6. 


fore,  felt  that  he  was  debtor;  that  he  was  debtor  to  an 
amount  which  no  labor  he  could  perform,  no  sacrifices 
he  could  make,  nor  any  sufferings  he  could  endure, 
for  Christ’s  sake,  could  ever  cancel,  or  even  diminish. 
Hence,  he  felt  himself  under  obligation  to  consecrate 
all  that  he  possessed,  all  his  time,  and  all  his  talents, 
to  the  Lord,  to  be  improved  in  his  service,  and  to  his 
glory.  He  could  do  nothing  more;  and  gratitude  and 
love  would  not  suffer  him  to  do  less.  “For  the  love 
of  Christ  constrained  him,  because  he  thus  judged, 
that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead;  and  that 
he  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  hence- 
forth live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  who  died  for 
them,  and  rose  again.”  He  felt  that  he  was  not  his 
own;  for  that  he  was  “bought  with  a price;”  and  that, 
therefore,  he  must  “glorify  God,  with  his  body,  and 
with  his  spirit,  which  were  God’s.” 

Well,  that  Paul  was  debtor  to  God  the  Father,  and 
to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  this  abundant 
grace  was  bestowed,  is,  indeed,  very  evident.  Here, 
his  obligation  was  infinite.  But,  still,  howr  was  he 
“debtor  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians,  to  the 
wise  and  to  the  unwise;”  in  short,  to  all  men?  My 
brethren,  Paul  had  received  the  “commandment,  that 
he  wholoveth  God  love  his  brother  also;”  and  in  him, 
the  love  of  men,  and  an  ardent  desire  for  their  highest 
good,  was  inseparably  connected  w it h the  love  of  God, 
and  the  love  of  Christ.  To  men,  too,  he  might  be 
profitable.  By  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  his 
labors  of  love,  he  might  be  instrumental  of  unspeaka- 
ble good  to  them.  For  this,  therefore,  he  felt  himself 
under  obligations  to  labor,  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability. 


Thus,  too,  would  God  have  men  gratefully  acknowl- 
edge his  favors.  He  does  not  bestow  the  blessings  of 
his  providence,  and  the  riches  of  his  grace,  merely 
for  the  emolument,  or  aggrandizement,  or  pleasure,  of 
the  favored  individual,  who  immediately  receives  them 
at  his  hand;  but,  that  they  may  be  improved  in  doing 
good  to  the  bodies  and  to  the  souls  of  men.  It  is  by 
doing  good,  with  all  the  talents  he  bestows,  and  not 
by  laying  them  up  in  a napkin,  that  the  most  suitable 
and  the  most  acceptable  returns  are  made,  for  all  his 
benefits.  Hence  it  is  that  “a  cup  of  cold  water  only,” 
given  to  a disciple,  from  love  to  Christ,  or  “because 
he  is  a disciple,  shall  in  no  wise  lose  its  reward;”  and 
that,  in  the  last  great  day,  the  Judge  will  say  to  those 
on  his  right  hand,  “Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world.  For  I was  an  hungered,  and  ye 
gave  me  meat;  I was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I 
was  a stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye 
clothed  me;  I w as  sick,  and  ye  visited  me;  I was  in 

prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me Verily  I say  unto 

you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me.” 

But,  was  any  valuable  end  certainly  to  be  attained, 
which  could  justify  Paul  in  thus  subjecting  himself  to 
unexampled  labors  and  toils,  and  exposing  himself  to 
innumerable  dangers,  and  unheard  of  privations  and 
sufferings,  in  preaching  the  gospel  of  Christ?  That  the 
preaching  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God 
has  been  attended  with  inestimable  benefits,  in  dis- 
pelling much  of  that  gross  darkness  which  covered 
the  earth,  and  meliorating  the  condition  of  man,  in 


8 


the  present  state,  is  undeniable;  and  that  unspeakably 
greater  blessings  are  yet  to  come  on  our  world,  in 
connexion  with  the  universal  spread  of  the  gospel,  the 
sure  word  of  prophecy  leaves  us  no  room  to  doubt. 
The  expressive  language  of  Jehovah  by  Isaiah  is, 
“The  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf,  and  the 
young  lion,  and  the  fading  together;  and  a little  child 
shall  lead  them.  And  the 'cow  and  the  bear  shall 
feed;  their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together;  and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp;  and  the  weaned 
child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice  den.  They 
shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain; 
for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  seas.”  “Then 
judgment  shall  dwell  in  the  wilderness,  and  righteous- 
ness remain  in  the  fruitful  field.  And  the  work  of 
righteousness  shall  be  peace,  and  the  effect  of  right- 
eousness quietness  and  assurance  for  ever.”  But,  my 
brethren,  Paul  had  an  end  in  view,  which  he  contem- 
plated as  of  infinitely  higher  importance,  than  the 
highest  state  of  earthly  felicity,  which  will  ever  be 
realized,  even  when  the  church  shall  attain  to  its  mil- 
lennial glory.  He  looked  abroad,  and  beheld  a world 
lying  in  wickedness.  He  saw  Greeks  and  barbarians, 
wise  and  unwise,  rich  and  poor,  free  and  bond;  yea, 
and  even  his  own  favored  nation,  his  “brethren,  his 
kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh,”  in  common  with  the 
idolatrous  nations  around  them,  lying  in  pollution, 
in  guilt,  in  ruin  together.  Numerous  and  great  as 
were  the  ills  of  the  present  life,  he  knew  that  “the 


9 


Wrath  of  God,”  which  was  “revealed  from  heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men,” 
threatened  to  overwhelm  them  in  unspeakably  greater 
misery  in  the  world  to  come.  He  beheld,  and  was 
grieved.  He  could  not  endure  to  see  the  dishonor 
which  w as  every  w here  cast  upon  God,  or  the  evils, 
which  guilty  men  were  bringing  upon  themselves. 
His  “heart’s  desire  and  prayer  to  God  was,  that  they 
might  be  saved.”  He  saw  one  only  remedy  provided; 
one  only  door  of  salvation  open.  He  had  heard,  he 
believed , he  felt,  that  there  was  “no  other  name 
under  heaven,  given  among  men,  w hereby  they  must 
be  saved,”  but  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth. 
He  knew  that  could  sinners,  could  even  the  chief  of 
sinners,  be  persuaded  to  come  to  this  glorious  Saviour, 
and  accept  the  grace  freely  offered  through  him,  they 
would  obtain  eternal  salvation,  and  a revenue  of  glory 
would  redound  to  God.  If  not,  “there  remained  no 
more  sacrifice  for  sins,”  and  they  must  be  “suddenly 
destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy.”  He  knew, 
moreover,  that,  “after  that  in  the  w isdom  of  God,  the 
world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God,  it  pleased  God,  by 
the  foolishness  of  preaching,  to  save  them  that  believe.” 
The  great  end,  therefore,  at  which  Paul  aimed,  was 
like  that  which  brought  the  Son  of  God  from  the 
highest  heaven  to  the  manger  at  Bethlehem,  to  the 
agonies  of  Gethsemane,  and  to  the  cross  at  Calvary. 
It  was,  that  God  might  be  glorified,  in  the  everlasting 
salvation  of  sinners,  wrho  were  ready  to  perish.  Of 
such  immense  importance  was  this  object,  in  his  esti- 
mation, and  so  immense  his  obligation,  that  he  would 

press  forw  ard,  and  preach  the  gospel  still,  whatever 

2 


10 


toils,  or  dangers,  or  sufferings,  might  await  him* 
When  “the  Holy  Ghost  witnessed,  saying,  Bonds 
and  afflictions  abide  thee,”  his  answer  was,  “None  of 
these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I my  life  dear 
unto  myself,  so  that  I might  finish  my  course  with  joy, 
and  the  ministry  which  I have  received  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.” 
Look,  too,  at  the  glorious  result.  A single  immortal 
being,  rescued  from  eternal  anguish  and  despair,  and 
raised  to  eternal  blessedness  in  heaven,  must  be  a 
good,  of  the  value  of  which  we  can  scarcely  form 
any  adequate  conception.  But  very  far  was  the  suc- 
cess of  Paul  from  being  limited  to  the  conversion  and 
salvation  of  a single  soul.  Scores,  and  hundreds, 
and  probably  thousands,  who  are  now  singing  the  song 
of  redeeming  love,  in  the  realms  of  glory,  acknowledge 
him  as  the  honored  instrument  of  opening  their  eyes, 
and  turning  “them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they  might  receive 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance  among  all  them 
that  are  sanctified,  by  faith  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.” 
Under  his  ministry,  too,  others  were  raised  up  to 
engage  in  the  same  work  of  love,  and  were,  like  him, 
instrumental  in  preparing  multitudes  to  be  numbered 
in  “the  sacramental  host  of  God’s  elect,”  and  to  sit 
down  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Yes,  and  the  good 
thus  begun, Jtas  been  accumulating  through  the  lapse 
of  ages,  to  the  present  time,  and  will  continue  to 
accumulate  until  time  shall  be  no  longer.  How  much 
even  we  arc  indebted  to  what  was  done  by  Paul,  for 
the  blessings  of  grace,  so  largely  bestowed  on  us,  no 
man  can  tell.  We  do  know,  however,  that  his  epistles 


11 


constitute  an  invaluable  part  of  that  holy  hook,  which 
is  “able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salvation,  through  faith 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.”  But  we  must  wait  the  open- 
ing scenes  of  eternity  to  enable  us  to  estimate  the 
unspeakable  good  which  has  resulted,  and  will  yet 
result,  from  the  labors  of  this  one  favored  servant  of 
Jesus  Christ.  How  glorious,  too,  must  be  his  per- 
sonal, though  gracious  reward.  With  this  reward  in 
view,  in  the  near  prospect  of  martyrdom,  he  could 
triumphantly  sing,  “I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  the 
time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I have  fought  a 
good  fight,  I have  finished  my  course,  I have  kept  the 
faith;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge 
shall  give  me  at  that  day.”  And  with  what  transports 
he  must  look  for  ever  upon  that  great  number,  whom 
he  “espoused  to  one  husband,  that  he  might  present 
them  as  a chaste  virgin  to  Christ;”  and  to  whom  he 
could  say,  while  yet  with  them  in  the  body,  “For 
what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are 
not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
at  his  coming?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  joy.” 

“/  am  debtor .”  So  said  Paul,  though  he  had 
cheerfully  relinquished  all  his  fair  prospects  of  honor 
and  emolument  from  the  world,  and  had  already 
performed  unequalled  services,  and  endured  unequalled 
sufferings,  for  the  cause  of  Christ;  who  had  been  “in 
labors  more  abundant,  in  stripes  above  measure,  in 
prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths  oft.”  Yes,  and  had 
his  labors  and  sufferings  been  increased  a thousand 
fold,  with  the  same  impression  of  the  astonishing 
goodness  and  grace  of  God,  manifested  in  his  salvation, 


12 


ff 


he  would  doubtless  have  said,  that  he  was  debtor  still. 
My  brethren,  how  then  stands  this  ace*  unt  with  us? 

There  is  reason  to  apprehend,  that  sentiments  and 
feelings  extensively  prevail,  among  professing  Chris- 
tians at  present,  which  are  very  diverse  from  those  of 
Paul;  sentiments  and  feelings,  which  Paul  would 
have  thought  dishonorable  to  the  Christian  name,  and 
wounding  to  the  Christian  cause,  if  not  even  utterly 
incompatible  with  the  Christian  character.  If  such 
sentiments  and  feelings  do  exist,  they  must  surely  be 
corrected  and  done  away,  that  Christians  may  all  feel 
and  act  in  entire  conformity  to  the  principles  of 
Christianity,  as  Christianity  must  have  been,  when 
“such  an  one  as  Paul  the  aged”  could  truly  say,  “I 
am  debtor.”  With  too  many,  whatever  is  done  in 
favor  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  instead  of  being  consid- 
ered as  matter  of  debt  at  all,  seems  evidently  to  be 
considered  as  altogether  gratuitous.  If  any  time  is 
spent,  for  this  object,  every  moment  is  a gratuity.  If 
a little  money  is  bestowed,  every  mill  of  it  is  a mere 
gift.  When  any  thing  of  this  nature  is  done,  instead 
of  saying  with  Paul,  “I  am  debtor,”  how  many  would 
have  it  considered  as  adding  so  much  to  a balance  in 
their  favor?  Is  it  not  under  the  influence  of  senti- 
ments and  feelings  of  this  sort,  that  many  persons 
entirely  refuse  their  aid,  for  the  support  of  divine  in- 
stitutions, where  they  reside,  and  think  they  do  no 
wrong;  while  others  satisfy  themselves  with  contrib- 
uting much  less  than  their  equal  proportion  of  neces- 
sary expenses?  And  how  many  more,  having  paid  a 
trifle  to  support  a preached  gospel  at  home,  feel  as 
though  this  were  quite  enough,  without  contributing  a 


13 


cent,  or  doing  any  thing  whatever,  to  cause  the  gospel 
to  be  published,  to  the  hundreds  of  millions  who  are 
sitting  “in  the  region  and  shadow'  of  death,”  where 
the  light  of  life  has  never  shined,  and  the  voice  of  the 
Saviour  of  sinners  w as  never  heard?  Now,  my  breth- 
ren, “so  did  not  Paul;”  and  can  it  be,  that  this  good 
Apostle  was  indebted  to  such  large  amount,  that  after 
twenty  years  of  unexampled  labors  and  sufferings,  in 
which  all  that  he  possessed,  and  all  that  he  was,  were 
sacredly  consecrated  to  the  service  of  Christ,  and  to 
promote  the  salvation  of  his  fellow'  men,  he  was  debtor 
still;  and  yet  that  we,  in  this  favored  age  and  country, 
instead  of  being  debtors  at  all,  are  actually  creditors 
rather,  so  that  every  thing  w e do,  and  all  that  we 
bestowr,  in  favor  of  the  same  object,  is  perfectly  gratu- 
itous, or  must  be  added  to  a balance  in  our  favor? 
Shall  we  inquire? 

As  has  been  shown,  Paul  was  made  debtor  by  the 
infinite  kindness  and  grace  of  God.  And  is  it  so,  my 
brethren,  that  nothing  of  this  kindness  and  grace  has 
been  shown  to  us?  For  w hat  of  all  that  is  valuable 
that  we  are,  and  of  all  that  we  possess,  are  not  we, 
too,  entirely  indebted  to  the  goodness  of  God?  Is  it 
not  in  him  that  we  “live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being?”  Did  not  he  create  us  rational,  intelligent, 
immortal;  capable  of  progressing  endlessly  in  knowl- 
edge and  felicity?  Do  we  not  owre  it  entirely  to  him, 
that  “the  lines  have  fallen  to  us  in  pleasant  places,  and 
we  have  a goodly  heritage?”  Have  not  all  our  inval- 
uable privileges,  and  our  every  comfort,  been  received 
from  his  paternal  hand?  And  are  not  w'e  sinners, 
too,  just  as  was  Paul;  so  that  we  ow  e all  our  privileges. 


14 


and  comforts,  and  hopes,  not  merely  to  the  abundant 
goodness  of  God;  but,  to  his  boundless  compassion 
and  grace?  Were  this  all,  then,  how  certain  it  must 
be  that  we  are  all  debtors — very  great  debtors.  Were 
we  to  do  ever  so  much,  and  to  contribute  ever  so 
largely,  to  promote  the  Redeemer’s  cause,  and  the 
salvation  of  our  fellow  sinners,  would  it  not  become  us 
to  enter  deeply  into  the  feelings  of  the  king  of  Israel, 
when  himself  and  his  people  had  made  very  liberal 
contributions  towards  building  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  he  said,  “Who  am  I,  and  what  is  my  people,  that 
we  should  be  able  to  offer  so  willingly  after  this  sort? 
For  all  things  come  of  thee,  and  of  thine  own  have 

we  given  thee O Lord  our  God,  all  this  store  that 

we  have  prepared, cometh  of  thine  hand,  and  is 

all  thine  own.” 

But  look,  also,  at  what  has  been  done  for  our 
salvation.  My  brethren,  has  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  “the  Lamb  of  God,”  been  “wounded  for  our 
transgressions,  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,”  just 
as  he  was  wounded  for  the  transgressions,  and  bruised 
for  the  iniquities  of  Paul?  Did  he  not  die  for  our  sins, 
that  we  might  have  life  through  him?  Has  not  his 
great  salvation  also  been  kindly  offered  to  our  accept- 
ance? Even  when  long,  and  most  ungratefully  refused, 
has  it  not  still  been  kindly  offered?  Ah,  my  respected 
friends,  are  there  not  some  in  this  numerous  assem- 
bly, by  whom  it  is  even  now  ungratefully  refused, 
and  yet  is  not  the  offer  most  graciously  continued? 
What  shall  we  say,  then?  Are  we  not  certainly 
debtors,  to  a very  vast  amount?  But  even  this  is  not 
all.  Many  of  us,  my  brethren,  indulge  the  precious 


15 


hope,  that  we  have  thankfully  accepted  this  salvation, 
and  become  “vessels  of  mercy  prepared  unto  glory.” 
But  how?  Was  not  even  this  entirely  of  grace?  Which 
of  us  all  is  not  prepared  to  say,  with  the  Apostle, 
“Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done, 
but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Saviour;  that  being  justified  by  his  grace,  we 
should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life?”  Are  not  we  debtors,  then,  even  as  Paul  was 
debtor,  to  an  amount,  which  can  never  be  cancelled, 
or  diminished? 

Suffer  me  to  ask,  moreover,  whether  it  is  not  under 
a deep  impression  of  this  affecting  truth,  that  every 
real  Christian  would  choose  to  come  to  the  communion 
table,  and  to  the  throne  of  grace?  Say,  ye  who  truly 
love  the  Lord,  would  you  come  to  his  holy  table  to 
tell  him  of  your  good  deeds,  of  the  works  of  righteous- 
ness which  you  have  done,  of  what  you  have  bestowed 
in  alms,  or  to  cause  the  gospel  to  be  published  among 
the  heathen?  Would  you  not,  on  the  contrary,  dis- 
claiming all  pretensions  of  this  nature,  come  as 
infinitely  indebted?  Is  it  not  grace,  infinite  and  un- 
merited grace,  which  you  would  there  commemorate? 
Just  so,  when  you  bow  before  the  throne  of  divine 
mercy,  would  you  not  always  come  as  great  debtors, 
and  as  very  beggars  still?  Is  not  all  that  you  would  ask, 
grace,  grace,  mere  grace?  Yes,  and  is  not  grace,  infinite 
grace,  the  theme  of  that  delightful  and  everlasting 
song,  in  which  you  hope  shortly  to  mingle  your  voices, 
with  the  voices  of  all  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  in. 


vr  16 


the  world  of  glory?  How  is  it  then,  that,  when 
Christians  come  to  perform  some  little  service  for 
Christ,  or  to  make  a contribution  for  sending  the 
gospel  of  salvation  to  those  who  are  ready  to  perish, 
a very  different  state  of  feeling  is  induced,  and  all  that 
is  done,  and  every  cent  that  is  bestowed,  must  be 
acknowledged  as  a mere  gratuity?  Should  they  not 
come  to  this  work  of  love,  just  as  they  should  come 
to  the  Lord’s  table,  or  to  the  throne  of  grace,  confess- 
ing, with  Paul,  that  they  are  great  debtors?  Ah,  my 
Christian  friends,  if  Paul  was  still  debtor,  after  all 
that  he  had  done  and  suffered,  may  I not  ask  again, 
how  stands  our  account?  For,  what  have  we  done, 
what  have  we  suffered,  for  the  honor  of  our  Saviour’s 
name,  to  advance  his  cause,  and  to  send  the  gospel  of 
his  salvation  to  those  who  never  heard  the  joyful  sound, 
which  is  not  lost  in  comparison  with  the  labors,  and 
toils,  and  stripes,  and  imprisonments,  and  deaths  of 
Paul?  Wherever  we  turn,  then,  we  are  irresistibly 
borne  away  to  the  conclusion,  that  we  are  debtors, 
infinitely  debtors.  We  are  debtors  to  God,  our  heav- 
enly Father,  and  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  we 
are  also  debtors,  just  as  was  Paul,  “to  the  Greeks 
and  to  the  barbarians,  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise;” 
yes,  to  persons  of  all  descriptions,  and  in  every  place; 
so  that,  “as  much  as  in  us  is,”  we  should  be  ready  to 
cause  the  gospel  of  salvation  to  be  every  where 
preached. 

But,  for  this,  are  any  extraordinary  efforts  now 
needed? — Look  abroad,  my  brethren.  Cast  your  eye 
over  Asia,  over  Africa,  over  a great  part  of  Europe, 
and  over  by  far  the  greater  part  of  our  own  continent. 


17 


Now,  what  do  you  behold?  Alas,  millions  on  millions, 
of  you  brethren  of  the  human  family,  groping  in  pagan 
or  Mahomedan  darkness,  without  a single  ray  of  the 
light  from  heaven,  to  guide  them  into  the  way  of  life 
and  peace.  Yes,  hundreds  of  millions  are  over- 
whelmed in  ignorance,  in  pollution,  in  guilt,  and  are 
sinking  down  in  blackness  of  darkness  for  ever.  Now, 
the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  that  gospel  to 
which  we  look  for  our  salvation,  reveals  the  only 
remedy  for  these  our  brethren,  as  well  as  for  ourselves. 
“There  is  no  other  name  under  heaven,  given  among 
men,  whereby”  they,  any  more  than  ourselves,  can 
“be  saved,”  but  only  the  precious  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth.  They  must  come  in  this  new 
and  living  way,  or  they  must  perish  for  ever. 

Well,  their  state  is,  indeed,  most  deplorable.  They 
are  on  the  brink  of  eternal  ruin.  But,  still,  are  any 
efforts  of  ours  needed?  God  has  given  assurance  that 
Christ  shall  “have  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  possession;” 
and  that  “all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God.” 
May  not  we,  then,  “sit  still,  and  see  this  salvation?” 
— It  is  certainly  true,  that  God  has  given  us  great  and 
precious  promises,  respecting  the  triumphs  of  the  Re- 
deemer’s kingdom,  and  the  salvation  of  sinners;  and 
we  may  rest  assured,  that  all  that  he  hath  promised, 
he  will  faithfully  perform.  Yes,  he  will  give  his  Son 
“the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,”  and  he  “shall  be 
for  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.”  But,  how  is 
this  wonderful  event  to  be  accomplished?  By  miracle? 
or,  by  means?  By  means,  most  certainly.  My  breth- 
ren, Paul  was  not  ignorant  of  what  God  had  promised, 
3 


I 


13 

ifi  favor  of  Zion.  He  knew,  well,  that  the  time  should 
come,  when  the  kingdom,  and  the  dominion,  and  the 
greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven, 
should  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High  God.  This  had  then  been  promised,  and 
the  promise  was  sure.  In  that  very  age,  in  which  the 
Apostles  lived,  a multitude  were  to  be  converted,  and 
blest  with  salvation.  But,  did  Paul  conclude,  that 
there  was  no  effort  for  him  to  make;  that  he  had  only 
to  “stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  God?”  On  the 
contrary,  with  an  heart  glowing  with  zeal  for  his  be- 
loved Saviour’s  cause,  and  with  love  to  the  souls  of  his 
fellow  sinners,  and  taking  encouragement  from  the 
gracious  revealed  purposes  of  Jehovah,  he  engaged  in 
the  most  active  and  persevering  efforts  to  spread 
abroad  the  blessed  gospel,  which  he  knew  was  “the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth.”  The  preaching  of  the  gospel,  by  Paul,  and 
his  fellow  laborers,  was  one  of  the  appointed  means, 
by  which  the  purpose  of  God,  in  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners, was  to  be  accomplished.  Accordingly,  by  divine 
direction,  they  went  out,  and  preached  the  gospel, 
and  the  word  of  the  Lord  had  free  course;  it  ran,  and 
was  glorified;  a multitude  were  converted;  flourishing 
churches  were  established;  and  thousands  of  guilty 
rebels  were  pardoned,  and  justified,  and  saved,  to  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God.  So  it  must  be  still.  If,  from 
among  the  heathen  of  the  present  age,  the  Lord  will 
gather  a people  for  his  name,  and  form  them  vessels 
of  mercy  prepared  unto  glory;  if,  ere  long,  the  world 
is  to  be  converted  to  Christ,  and  all  nations  are  to  be 
blessed  in  him,  this  great  and  glorious  event  will  be 


19 


effected  by  means.  That  all  the  ends  of  the  earth 
may  see  the  salvation  of  God,  the  gospel  of  this 
salvation  must  be  published  among  all  nations. 

It  is  often  objected  to  foreign  missions,  however, 
that  there  is  yet  employment  enough  at  home.  Many 
of  our  own  countrymen  are  yet  uninterested  in  the 
salvation  of  the  gospel;  and  many  of  them,  too,  are 
very  destitute  of  the  means  of  grace.  Why  not  attend 
first  to  the  wants  of  these?  Why  in  such  haste  to  send 
laborers  abroad? — It  is  probable,  indeed,  that  this 
objection  is  most  commonly  urged,  by  those  who  do 
very  little  for  missions,  either  at  home  or  abroad.  But, 
not  to  insist  on  this,  may  I not  ask,  Why  did  Paul, 
and  his  fellow  laborers,  go  abroad?  The  inhabitants 
of  Judea  were  very  far  from  having  all  embraced  the 
gospel.  Multitudes  of  them  were  still  in  the  way  to 
destruction.  Why  did  they  not  wait,  then,  until  these 
were  all  converted,  or,  at  least,  until  they  were  all 
supplied  with  preachers  of  the  gospel? — My  brethren, 
was  it  not  because  the  command  of  their  Lord,  to  his 
disciples,  was,  “Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature?”  And  when,  or  where, 
was  this  command  revoked,  that  the  great  work  of 
evangelizing  the  world,  so  nobly  begun  by  the  Apos- 
tles, was  so  soon  discontinued?  When  was  it  revoked, 
that  it  should  not  be  binding  on  Christians  still?  We 
know,  indeed,  it  is  a common  maxim,  in  our  selfish 
world,  that  charity  begins  at  home.  It  is,  also,  too 
evident,  that  all  the  charity  which  many  possess,  does 
both  begin,  and  end  at  home.  But,  surely,  this  maxim 
was  never  learned  in  the  school  of  Christ.  This  is 
not  the  charity,  which  seeketh  not  her  own.  It  is 


not  the  charity,  under  the  influence  of  which  the  be- 
loved Son  of  God,  “though  he  was  rich,  for  our  sakes 
became  poor,  that  we,  through  his  poverty,  might  be 
rich.”  It  is  not  the  charity,  which  glowed  in  the  heart 
of  Paul,  when  he  said,  “I  am  debtor  to  the  Greeks 
and  to  the  barbarians,  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise;” 
and  which  sent  him,  through  perils,  and  persecutions, 
and  sufferings,  from  city  to  city,  and  from  country  to 
country,  to  “preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ.”  Are  we  asked,  then,  Why  in 
such  haste  to  send  missionaries  among  the  heathen? 
the  answer  may  be  given  in  few  words.  It  is,  because 
this  work  of  love  has  already  been  too  long  neglected, 
to  the  reproach  of  the  Christian  name;  it  is,  that  we 
may  act  consistently  with  the  character  of  obedient 
disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  in  conformity  to  the 
spirit  of  his  gospel;  that  we  may  imitate  the  example 
of  the  Apostles;  and  that  the  poor  heathen,  who  are 
perishing  by  thousands,  may,  with  us,  “obtain  the 
salvation  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  with  eternal 
glory.” 

But,  after  all  that  has  been  effected  by  the  labors 
of  foreign  Missionaries,  there  are,  to  this  very  day, 
even  among  professing  Christians,  some,  nor  is  the 
number  small,  who  inquire  what  good  has  resulted,  or 
is  likely  to  result,  from  all  these  contributions,  and 
other  efforts,  in  favor  of  the  missionary  cause.  I 
must  not  go  into  any  thing  like  detail  here.  But, 
would  any  one  know  what  good  has  already  resulted 
from  foreign  missions,  let  him  read  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church,  beginning  with  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  Yes,  the  history  of  Christian  Foreign 


Missions  begins  with  what  is  contained  in  your  Bibles. 
The  good,  which  is  there  recorded,  it  must  surely  be 
confessed,  was  unspeakably  great.  According  to  what 
is  related  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  multitudes  were 
turned  from  dumb  idols,  to  serve  the  living  God,  and 
were  made  glad  with  the  joys  of  salvation.  But  all 
this  inestimable  good,  effected  beyond  the  limits  of 
Judea,  was  effected,  instrumentally,  by  the  labors  of 
foreign  Missionaries.  Nearly  all  the  Apostles  acted 
in  this  important  character.  They  went  abroad,  into 
distant  regions,  publishing  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion by  Jesus  Christ;  and  most  of  them  suffered 
martyrdom,  far  from  their  native  country.  Paul,  and 
Barnabas,  and  Silas,  were  eminently  foreign  Mission- 
aries. To  the  two  former,  the  right  hand  of  fellowship 
was  given,  expressly,  that  they  might  go  unto  the 
heathen.  The  flourishing  churches  at  Antioch,  at 
Philippi,  at  Thessalonica,  at  Corinth,  at  Ephesus,  at 
Colosse,  in  Galatia,  and  in  manyr  other  places;  in 
short,  all  the  primitive  churches,  beyond  the  limits  of 
Judea,  were  founded  by  foreign  Missionaries.  Nor  was 
this  all.  Other  Ministers  of  Christ — other  Missiona- 
ries, I should  say,  were  raised  up  in  these  churches, 
who  succeeded  the  first  Apostles  and  Evangelists,  and 
extended,  still  more  widely,  the  blessings  of  salvation. 
Yes,  let  the  inhabitants  of  Judea  alone  be  excepted, 
and  there  is  not  a nation  or  people  under  heaven, 
which  was  ever  blessed,  or  is  now  blessed,  with  the 
life  giving  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God,  who  have  not  owed  it,  or  do  not  now  owe  it, 
either  immediately,  or  more  remotely,  to  the  labors  of 
foreign  Missionaries-  In  the  splendor  of  the  light  of 


“the  Sun  of  Righteousness,”  which  shines  round  about 
ourselves,  we  too  commonly  forget  that  gross  dark- 
ness, in  which  even  our  forefathers  were  all  once 
involved,  and  the  means  by  which  that  darkness  was 
dispelled.  Time  was,  my  brethren,  when  the  land  of 
our  fathers  was  “a  land  of  darkness  and  the  shadow 
of  death.”  All  its  inhabitants  were  mere  pagans,  and 
observed,  with  one  consent,  the  most  impure,  and 
cruel,  and  abominable  rites,  of  the  grossest  idolatry. 
And  Iioav  was  the  scene  changed?  I nstru  mentally, 
certainly,  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  foreign 
Missionaries.  Thus  it  was,  that  light  broke  in  upon 
that  gross  darkness  which  overshadowed  the  whole 
land;  and,  by  a divine  blessing,  it  increased  more  and 
more,  unto  that  “perfect  day,”  which  now  shines  upon 
it  with  such  effulgence.  Yes,  but  for  the  labors  of 
some  Christian  foreign  Missionary,  to  let  in  the  light 
of  the  blessed  gospel  upon  that  land  of  darkness,  we 
ourselves,  though  we  can  scarcely  realize  the  fact, 
might  have  been,  at  this  moment,  immersed  in  all  the 
abominations  of  the  grossest  heathenism.  Think  of 
this,  my  brethren,  and  see,  again,  how  greatly  you  are 
debtors. 

Do  any  still  inquire  for  the  good  effected  by  foreign 
missions  of  the  present  day? — I might  point  you  to  a 
single  monument  of  redeeming  grace,  selected  from 
among  the  aboriginals  of  our  own  country,  -which 
should  surely  silence  all  objections  to  foreign  missions, 
which  rests  on  the  ground  that  they  are  useless.  Cold 
and  hard  must  be  the  heart  of  that  man,  who  cannot 
find,  in  the  history  of  Catharine  Broun  alone,  an 
ample  remuneration,  I do  not  say  lor  all  that  he  has 


23 


done,  but,  for  all  that  lias  been  done,  in  favor  of 
foreign  missions,  by  the  present  generation.  But  you 
would  see  more.  Look,  then,  at  the  various  mission- 
ary stations  among  the  American  Indians;  look  away 
to  the  Colony  of  liberated  Negroes  at  Sierra  Leone; 
look  at  Labrador,  at  Greenland,  at  India,  and,  above 
all,  at  the  South  Sea  Islands.  And  what  do  you 
behold?  Hundreds  and  thousands,  who,  but  a few 
years  ago,  were  involved  in  all  the  darkness  of  hea- 
thenism, ami  were  wallowing  in  pollution  and  guilt, 
but  who,  having  heard  the  gospel,  are  now  “washed, 
and  sanctified,  and  justified,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God;”  they  are  Chris- 
tianized, and  civilized,  and  are  preparing  to  join  in  the 
song  of  the  redeemed,  in  the  world  of  glory;  many 
churches  have  been  established;  many  temples  have 
been  erected  for  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  where  once 
the  obscene  and  cruel  rites  of  paganism  were  per- 
formed; the  Bible  has  been  translated  into  many  dif- 
ferent languages,  and  multitudes  are  reading,  “in  their 
own  tongue,  the  wonderful  works  of  God;”  and 
schools  are  established,  in  which  thousands  of  the 
rising  generation  are  receiving  instruction  in  various 
branches  of  useful  knowledge,  and  the  principles 
of  our  holy  religion,  and  are  preparing  to  become 
eminently  useful  among  their  ignorant  and  degraded 
brethren.  In  brief,  very  much  has  been  done,  and  is 
still  doing,  which  is  evidently  preparing  the  way  for 
the  ushering  in  of  that  auspicious  day,  “when  the  Sun 
of  righteousness”  shall  rise  upon  all  the  nations,  “with 
healing  in  his  wings,”  and  the  whole  earth  shall  be 
blessed  with  the  light  of  salvation,  and  “filled  with  the 


24 


knowledge  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord.”  Yes,  my 
brethren,  in  the  efforts  to  spread  the  gospel,  to  which 
the  Christian  world  is  beginning  to  awake,  after  ages 
of  unaccountable  and  disgraceful  slumber,  we  already 
begin  to  perceive  the  opening  dawn  of  that  glorious 
millennial  day,  when  all  people  shall,  with  one  heart, 
and  with  one  soul,  rejoice  together  in  the  salvation  of 
God. 

Well,  if  so  much  has  been  effected,  what  more 
is  necessary?  May  not  these  extraordinary  efforts  be 
now  suspended? — Do,  my  brethren,  look  again.  Yes, 
something  has  been  done,  to  the  glory  and  praise  of 
God.  A goodly  number  have  been  plucked  as  brands 
out  of  the  burning,  and  made  trophies  of  redeeming 
grace.  But  O what  a multitude  still  remain  “dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins,”  “having  no  hope,  and  without 
God  in  the  world!”  Would  we  sum  up  the  number, 
w ho,  from  among  the  heathen,  have  “fled  for  refuge 
to  the  hope  set  before  them,”  w e may,  indeed,  reckon, 
by  scores,  by  hundreds,  and  even  by  thousands.  But 
would  we,  on  the  other  hand,  take  the  account  of 
those  who  are  yet  in  the  very  “region  and  shadow  of 
death,”  on  the  brink  of  eternal  wo,  we  must  reckon 
by  millions,  by  tens  of  millions,  by  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions. As  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  even 
so  it  is  now,  to  a comparatively  small  company  it  may 
be  said,  “Ye  are  of  God,  and  the  whole  w-orld  lieth  in 
wickedness.”  The  good  work,  then,  is  but  just 
begun.  We  behold,  indeed,  the  glimmering  dawn  of 
a brighter  day  than  has  ever  yet  risen  upon  the 
church,  or  upon  the  world;  but,  before  this  day  can 
shine  in  meridian  splendor,  the  efforts  of  the  Christian 


25 


'vorld,  instead  of  being  suspended,  or  diminished, 
must  be  increased  an  hundred,  if  not  even  a thousand 
fold.  Yes,  my  brethren,  before  this  day  can  shine  in 
all  its  glory,  Christians  must  become  willing  to  do 
something  more  than  they  can  just  do  without  the 
least  inconvenience  to  themselves.  They  must  learn 
to  “let  the  same  mind  be  in  them  which  was  in  Christ 
Jesus,”  when,  for  the  salvation  of  our  ruined  world, 
“though  he  w as  in  the  form  of  Cod,  and  thought  it 
not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  yet  he  made  himself 
of  no  reputation,  but  took  on  him  the  form  of  a ser- 
vant, and  became  in  the  likeness  of  men;  and  being 
found  in  fashion  as  a man,  he  humbled  himself,  and 
became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross.”  They  must  feel  somewhat  as  Paul  felt,  when, 
after  twenty  years  of  labors,  and  perils,  and  sufferings, 
for  Christ’s  sake,  which  have  no  parallel,  he  could  still 
say,  from  his  very  heart,  “/  am  debtor .”  Then  would 
Christians  hold  their  substance,  their  time,  their  tal- 
ents, their  sons,  their  daughters,  and  even  their  owrn 
lives,  sacredly  consecrated  to  God,  to  be  improved  in 
his  service,  and  to  his  glory,  whenever,  and  wherever, 
“the  Lord  hath  need  of  them.”  Even  “upon  the  bells 
of  the  horses”  would  be  written,  “Holiness  to  the 
Lord.”  Then  would  there  be  no  want  of  laborers  in 
the  great  w ork  of  preaching  the  gospel  of  salvation  to 
the  perishing  heathen.  Whenever  the  Lord  should 
inquire,  “Whom  shall  I send?  and  who  will  go  for 
us?”  the  cheerful  answer  of  one,  and  another,  and 
another  would  be,  “Here  am  I,  send  me.”  Then,  too, 
would  the  Lord’s  treasury  be  amply  replenished,  and 
it  would  not  be  thought  a great  thing,  if.  while  Mis- 
4 


2ti 


sionaries  relinquish  all  their  fair  prospects  of  attaining 
to  the  riches  and  honors  of  this  world,  to  subject 
themselves  to  labors,  and  privations,  and  perils,  and 
sufferings,  of  which  those  who  live  at  their  ease  at 
home,  can  scarcely  form  any  conception,  Christians 
should  deny  themselves  some  of  their  superfluities,  to 
supply  them  with  the  bare  necessaries  of  life.  The 
great  inquiry  with  each  individual  would  be,  “Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do;”  and  this  being  ascer- 
tained, it  would  be  cheerfully  performed,  however 
great  the  necessary  sacrifice.  Let  such  a state  of 
feeling  become  universal  among  Christians,  and  the 
work  of  evangelizing  the  world  would  go  on,  and 
prosper.  Then  would  the  time  soon  come,  when  “a 
nation  should  be  born  in  a day;”  and  there  should  no 
more  be  occasion  for  a man  to  “teach  his  neighbor,  or 
his  brother,  saying,  know  the  Lord;  for  all  should 
know  him  from  the  least  unto  the  greatest,”  and  “the 
kingdom  shall  be  the  Lord’s.”  Do  any  still  inquire, 
What  can  we  do,  in  our  circumstances,  towards  the 
accomplishment  of  this  great  event,  let  them  look 
again  at  Paul;  let  them  inquire  seriously,  and  answer 
for  themselves  conscientiously,  what  Paul  would  have 
done  in  the  same  circumstances,  and  let  them  “go, 
and  do  likewise.” 

I must  beg  the  indulgence  of  this  respected  audi- 
ence, while  1 address  a few  words  to  these  young 
men,  to  whom  a solemn  charge,  and  the  right  hand  of 
fellowship,  are  now  to  be  affectionately  given,  as 
Christian  Missionaries. 

My  beloved  son,  and  my  dear  brother, 

The  office,  into  which  you  are  now  to  be  solemnly 
inducted,  is  one  of  the  most  honorable,  the  most 


27 


arduous,  and  the  most  important,  which  was  ever 
entrusted  to  mortal  man.  Your  work  is  like  that  to 
which  Paul  was  called,  when  unto  him  was  “this 
grace  given,  that  he  should  preach  among  the  Gen- 
tiles the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.”  You  are, 
like  him,  to  be  sent  unto  the  heathen,  “to  open  their 
eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God;  that  they  may 
receive  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance  among 
all  them  that  are  sanctified,  by  faith  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus.”  If,  as  we  earnestly  hope,  you  are  indeed 
divinely  called  to  the  office  and  work,  to  which  you 
will  now  be  consecrated,  you  will  henceforth  stand  in 
a very  near  and  interesting  relation  to  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  God  the  Father;  and  may  say  to  those, 
to  whom  you  are  sent,  “Now  then,  we  are  ambassa- 
dors for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech  you  by 
us,  we  pray  you,  in  Christ’s  stead,  be  ye  reconciled 
to  God.”  In  this  high  office,  the  leading  objects  of 
all  your  efforts,  and  ol  all  your  prayers,  must  be,  to 
promote  the  great  work  of  human  redemption  by 
Jesus  Christ,  and  to  bring  back  a rebellious  and 
ruined  world  to  God  and  to  happiness.  Do  I not,  then, 
hear  you  anxiously  demand,  Who,  O “who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things?”  \ et,  while  you  feel  your  weakness, 
and  tremble  in  view  of  your  responsibility,  do  you  not 
hear  for  your  encouragement,  “a  voice  from  the  ex- 
cellent glory,”  “My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you.” 
“Trust  then  in  the  Lord,  with  all  your  heart,  and  lean 
not  to  your  own  understanding,”  and  his  strength  will 
be  made  perfect  in  your  weakness;  and  you  will  “be 
strong  in  the  grace  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.' 


28 


But,  though  your  labors  are  all  to  be  labors  of  love, 
directed  to  an  object  the  most  kind  and  beneficent, 
and  though  the  grace  of  God  is  sufficient  for  you,  yet 
we  cannot  encourage  you  to  hope  for  an  exemption 
from  many  trials  and  sufferings.  The  assurances  of 
our  divine  Master,  “In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribu- 
lation;5’ “if  they  have  persecuted  me  they  will  also 
persecute  you,”  have  been  verified  in  the  experience 
of  the  faithful  Missionaries  of  the  cross,  in  every  age. 
Should  you  obtain  grace  to  be  faithful,  they  will,  in 
all  probability,  be  verified  in  your  experience.  To 
you  it  may  be  shown  how  great  things  you  must  suf- 
fer for  Christ’s  sake.  Indeed,  should  you  never 
experience  direct  persecution,  still  you  will  not  be 
entirely  exempted  from  trials.  You  are  about  to  bid  a 
long  adieu  to  parents,  and  brothers,  and  sisters,  and 
other  relatives  and  friends,  whom  you  tenderly 
love,  and  by  whom  you  are  tenderly  loved,  and 
to  turn  your  backs  upon  many  domestic  and  social 
enjoyments,  which  you  might  reasonably  anticipate, 
in  your  beloved  native  New  England;  and  you 
must  unavoidably  be  subjected  to  many  toils,  and  pri- 
vations, and  sufferings,  which  here  you  might  avoid. 
For  these  things,  and  for  all  the  labors,  and  all  the 
sufferings,  which  may  await  you,  it  is  all  important 
that  your  minds  be  prepared.  Look,  then,  at  Paul. 
In  him  you  may  behold  an  eminent  example  of  labor- 
ing and  suffering  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  for  the 
salvation  of  men,  and  of  the  spirit,  by  which  all  who 
engage  in  the  same  important  work,  should  ever  be 
governed.  Paul  felt  himself  to  be  debtor.  When  he 
had  labored  long,  and  suffered  much,  lie  felt  that  he 


was  debtor  still.  “The  love  of  Christ,  also,  con- 
strained” him,  so  that  he  would  not  live  unto  himself, 
but  “unto  hint  who  died  for  him,  and  rose  again.” 
Hence,  though  “bonds  and  afflictions”  awaited  him 
at  every  step,  he  would  press  onward  in  his  great 
work,  and  count  nothing  too  much  for  him  to  do,  or 
to  suffer,  for  the  honor  of  his  beloved  Saviour,  and 
that  his  fellow  sinners  might  obtain  salvation.  Such 
is  the  spirit  of  a Christian  Missionary.  And,  my  dear 
son  and  brother,  it  is  in  the  hope  and  confidence  that 
you  have  attained  to  a good  measure  of  this  spirit, 
which  was  in  Paul,  to  a good  measure  of  the  “mind 
which  was  in  Christ  Jesus,”  that  your  affectionate 
Christian  relatives  and  friends  cheerfully  resign  you  to 
the  work  which  you  have  chosen.  It  is  in  this  hope 
and  confidence,  that  the  respected  Board,  under  w hose 
immediate  direction  you  are  to  act,  have  accepted 
your  proffered  services.  It  is  in  this  hope  and  confi- 
dence, that  this  Ecclesiastical  Council  now  proceed 
to  set  you  apart  to  your  good  work.  And  it  is  in  this 
hope  and  confidence,  that  the  whole  Christian  com- 
munity will  follow  you  with  their  choicest  benedic- 
tions, and  their  most  fervent  prayers,  to  the  respective 
scenes  of  your  future  labors.  O,  then,  in  this  our 
earnest  hope,  do  not  let  us  be  disappointed;  of  this 
our  joyful  confidence,  do  not  let  us  be  made  ashamed. 
And  if  you  do,  indeed,  enter  upon  this  great  and  good 
work,  prepared,  after  all  that  you  can  do,  and  all  that 
you  can  suffer,  to  feel  that  you  are  debtors  still;  under 
the  influence  of  fervent  love  to  Christ;  and  with  pure 
and  ardent  desires  to  advance  his  precious  cause,  and 
to  be  instrumental  in  the  conversion  and  salvation  of 
sinners,  who  are  ready  to  perish,  you  will  then  have 


30 


nothing  to  fear.  Whatever  trials  or  sufferings  may 
present  themselves  in  prospect,  whether  among  the 
savages  of  our  American  wilderness,  or  among  the 
fiercer  barbarians,  whose  unhallowed  feet  have  so  long 
polluted  the  Holy  Land,  you  may  say,  with  the  good 
Apostle,  “None  of  these  things  move  me;  neither 
count  I my  life  dear  unto  myself;  so  that  I might 
finish  my  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  I 
have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God.”  Do,  then,  “let  the  love  of 
Christ  dwell  in  you  richly.”  Take  his  heavenly  in- 
structions for  your  constant  directory;  and  let  his 
lovely  example,  and  the  lovely  example  of  his  Apos- 
tles, be  the  pattern  for  your  constant  imitation;  tread 
the  world  beneath  your  feet,  and  look  to  heaven  as 
the  place  of  your  great  and  gracious  reward.  And, 
now,  may  the  good  “Shepherd  of  Israel,”  “the  Lord 
God  of  the  holy  Prophets  and  Apostles,”  take  you  by 
his  kind  paternal  hand,  lead  you  in  all  the  way  that 
you  go,  conduct  you  safely  to  the  places  of  your  des- 
tination, preserve  you  in  every  scene  of  danger,  sup- 
port and  solace  you  under  every  trial,  kindly  provide 
for  all  your  wants,  and  give  you  many  precious  souls, 
who  shall  be  your  “joy,  and  crown  of  rejoicing,”  “at 
the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  And,  though 
now  we  soon  part,  to  meet  no  more,  in  this  present 
world,  may  we,  and  all  our  relatives  and  friends,  be 
prepared,  by  that  “grace  of  God,  which  bringeth  sal- 
vation,” to  meet,  at  last,  before  the  throne  of  love,  and 
to  unite  with  each  other,  and  with  all  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord,  in  ascribing  “blessing,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and  power,  unto  him  who  sittetli  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  forever.”  Amen. 


CHARGE, 

BY  LEONARD  WOODS,  D.  D. 

Abbot  Professor  of  Christian  Theology , in  the  Theological 
Seminary , Andover. 


Dearly  beloved  brethren, 

The  day  has  arrived,  which  you  have  been  accustomed  to 
anticipate  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  periods  of  your  life, — 
the  day  of  your  public  consecration  to  the  work  of  Christian  Mis- 
sionaries. And  as  1 am  called  to  address  you  on  this  momentous 
occasion,  I shall  briefly,  though  with  great  freedom,  express  to 
you  the  feelings  of  my  heart  in  reference  to  your  sacred  and 
arduous  undertaking. — Sacred  and  arduous  we  well  know,  is  the 
work  of  every  minister  of  the  Gospel.  But  the  work  of  a Mis- 
sionary is  attended  with  circumstances  which  render  it  peculiarly 
sacred  and  arduous.  This  work,  my  dear  Brethren,  you  have 
desired  to  undertake;  and  you  have  here  presented  yourselves,  I 
trust  with  a deep  conviction  of  your  dependence  on  divine  help, 
to  be  publicly  set  apart  to  the  service  of  Christ  among  the  hea- 
then. And  now,  while  I speak  to  you  in  the  name  of  this  Eccle- 
siastical Council,  and  in  the  name  of  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners, under  whose  patronage  you  are  to  engage  in  this 
service,  and  in  the  name  of  the  great  community  of  American 
Christians,  by  whose  pious  charity  you  are  to  be  supported  in 
your  work,  what  more  can  I do,  than  to  repeat  and  inculcate  the 
high  command  which  Jesus  gave  to  his  Apostles,  just  before  he 
was  parted  from  them.  During  his  whole  ministry,  he  had,  in 
the  kindest  and  most  effectual  manner,  labored  to  furnish  them 
for  their  work.  He  had  died  on  the  cross  to  open  the  way  for 


•52 


them  to  preach  salvation  to  the  world.  He  had  revived  their 
drooping  hearts  by  rising  from  the  dead.  He  had  familiarly  con- 
versed with  them  many  days  after  his  resurrection.  And,  as  the 
time  had  come  when  he  was  to  be  separated  from  them,  and  to 
ascend  to  his  Father  and  their  Father,  he  gave  them  their  final 
commission,  pointing  out  their  great  work  as  his  ambassadors; 
11  Go  ye  into  all  the  world , and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature .” 
Under  this  commission  the  Apostles  went  forth,  preaching  the 
Gospel  to  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  endeavoring,  in  the  midst  of 
reproaches  and  sufferings,  to  turn  them  from  unbelief,  idolatry 
and  wickedness,  to  serve  the  living  God.  And  you,  brethren, 
acting  under  the  same  commission,  are  to  go  forth,  one  to  the 
East,  and  the  other  to  the  West,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
to  those  who  are  perishing  in  sin.  This  Gospel,  you  will  remem- 
ber, is  the  power  of  God  to  salvation.  It  is  the  only  means  of 
demolishing  temples  of  superstition  and  idolatry,  subverting 
thrones  of  wickedness,  and  bringing  men  under  the  dominion  of 
righteousness  and  truth.  Wherever  you  go,  make  it  your 
supreme  concern,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  At  all  times, 
and  in  all  places,  this  is  your  work.  No  circumstances  whatever 
can  justify  you  in  turning  aside  from  your  great  design  of  pro- 
moting the  reign  of  Christ;  or  in  attempting  to  do  this  by  any 
other  means,  than  the  preaching  of  his  Gospel.  The  manner  of 
preaching  you  must  indeed  vary,  according  to  the  circumstances  of 
men  in  respect  to  age,  information,  prevailing  customs,  and  pre- 
vious habits  of  mind.  You  will  also  find  it  necessary  to  do  much 
as  a preparation  for  preaching  the  Gospel.  You  must  make 
efforts  to  remove  the  various  causes  which  hinder  the  reception 
of  Christianity.  You  must  labor  to  improve  the  intellectual  and 
moral  faculties  of  men  in  relation  to  other  subjects.  You  must 
relieve  their  bodily  wants  and  sufferings.  And  you  must  be 
occupied  in  learning  the  languages  of  the  people  to  whom  you 
are  sent,  and  in  becoming  acquainted  with  their  errors  and  vices. 
But  all  that  you  do  must  be  in  subserviency  to  the  benevolent 
design  of  propagating  the  holy  doctrines  and  precepts  of  our 
religion.  Glory  in  these  holy  doctrines,  the  doctrines  of  the 
cross;  and  glory  in  nothing  else.  When  from  the  elevated  posi- 
tion which  we  occupy  in  such  transactions  as  these,  I look  abroad 
on  the  unevangelized  nations,  and  see  their  degraded,  wretched 


33 


slate,  and  consider  that  there  is  no  way  of  salvation  for  them,  but 
by  the  grace  displayed  in  the  Gospel;  the  Gospel  rises  to  an  infi- 
nite value;  and  1 am  constrained  to  confess,  that  1 have  never,  in 
the  highest  efforts  I have  been  able  to  make,  represented  it  in 
half  its  glory,  or  half  its  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the  world. 
Now,  my  brethren,  should  you  neglect  to  preach  the  pure  Gos- 
pel of  Christ,  whatever  else  you  might  do,  the  Christian  commu- 
nity would  be  totally  disappointed.  Even  if  you  should  be  suc- 
cessful in  teaching  the  Mahometans,  Jews,  or  Savages  the  useful 
arts  and  sciences,  and  in  imparting  to  them  all  the  cultivation  and 
refinement  of  the  most  polished  cities  in  Christendom,  and  yet 
should  leave  them  unsanctified,  enemies  to  God  by  wicked  works; 
our  great  object  would  be  lost.  We  might  indeed,  as  mere  politi- 
cians, as  friends  to  the  temporal  comfort  and  honor  of  our  species, 
labor  as  zealously  as  others,  to  bring  all  nations  to  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  liberty,  and  learning,  and  worldly  prosperity.  But 
the  transactions  of  Missionary  Societies,  and  the  contributions 
made  by  enlightened  Christians  to  the  Missionary  cause,  are  all 
directed  to  the  holy  and  benevolent  design  of  turning  men  from 
their  sins,  and  training  them  up,  by  a life  of  repentance  and  faith, 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  this  design  can  be  accomplish- 
ed only  by  preaching  Christ  crucified.  Other  means  have  been 
tried,  often  tried;  but  never  with  success.  And  why  should  you 
expect  success  from  means,  which  others  have  so  often  employed 
in  vain? — Human  wisdom  and  philosophy  may  dream  what  they 
will.  But  there  is  in  truth  no  prospect  of  the  salvation  or  the 
reformation  of  the  heathen  world,  but  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
The  experience  of  past  ages  has  shown  this.  The  events  of  the 
present  day  show  this  still  more  clearly;  and  the  evidence  of  this 
will  be  continually  increased  in  future  ages;  till  it  shall  appear  to 
the  conviction  of  the  whole  world,  that  the  Gospel,  and  that  only , 
is  the  power  of  God  to  salvation.  Now,  should  you  hereafter  for- 
get the  business  which  your  Lord  has  sent  you  to  accomplish,  and 
instead  of  preaching  his  Gospel,  begin  to  rely  upon  the  wisdom  of 
the  world  to  make  men  virtuous  and  happy;  the  Lord  would  con- 
found your  worldly  wisdom.  He  would  not  own  you  as  his  min- 
isters; he  would  dismiss  you  from  his  service;  and  would  raise  up 
others,  who  would  remember  his  directions,  and  labor  to  convert 
and  save  men  by  the  faithful  preaching  of  his  Gospel. 

5 


34 


But  while  1 exhort  you,  brethren,  and  solemnly  charge  you  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  in  every  practicable  way  to  inculcate  its 
heavenly  principles;  l would  also  impress  upon  your  hearts  the 
vast  importance  of  your  being  influenced  in  your  labors  by  the  spirit 
of  the  Gospel , and  exhibiting  in  your  own  life  an  example  of  uniform 
obedience  to  its  precepts.  This, — if  your  hearts  are  like  ours, — 
you  will  find  the  most  difficult  part  of  your  work.  Many  a min- 
ister has  prevented  the  good  influence  of  his  preaching  by  the 
want  of  circumspection  and  holiness  in  bis  own  life.  And  many  a 
one  has,  in  the  end,  been  compelled  to  take  up  the  lamentation, 
and  say,  “They  made  me  a keeper  of  the  vineyards;  but  mine 
own  vineyard  have  1 not  kept.”  Missionaries  are  exposed  to  this, 
as  well  as  others.  Nay,  let  me  tell  you,  that  if  you  do  indeed 
persevere  in  a blameless,  holy  life;  it  will  be  because  you  receive 
abundance  of  grace  from  above.  You  are  soon  to  be  removed 
far  from  the  society  of  beloved  Christian  churches  and  ministers; 
and  to  be  in  a great  measure  deprived  of  those  precious  means 
and  ordinances,  to  which,  under  God,  you  owe  your  conversion, 
and  all  the  growth  in  grace  you  have  attained.  You  are  soon  to 
be  surrounded  with  examples  of  folly  and  wickedness,  which  will 
have  a direct  tendency  to  weaken  your  impression  of  divine 
things,  and  sometimes  to  produce  a disgust  at  the  human  species, 
that  will  chill  your  benevolence,  and  be  destructive  of  your  use- 
fulness. Perhaps,  too,  you  are  to  be  subjected  to  a variety  of 
sufferings,  from  the  malignity  and  persecution  of  those  who  hate 
the  truth. — It  will  be  in  circumstances  like  these,  that  you  must 
cultivate  Christian  piety;  must  be  holy,  harmless,  undefiled, — the 
sons  of  God  without  rebuke.  And  will  there  be  no  difficulty  in 
all  this? — Look  back  to  the  years  you  spent  in  our  beloved 
Seminary,  surrounded  with  Christian  companions,  and  every  day 
brought  under  the  influence  of  a thousand  excitements  to  a 
watchful,  holy  life.  And  say,  was  it  not,  even  then,  difficult  to 
maintain,  in  a proper  degree,  the  character  of  Christians?  Did 
you  not  sometimes  find  yourselves  halting  in  the  way  to  heaven? 
Did  you  not  sometimes  feel  the  spirit  of  slumber,  and  lose  the 
ardor  and  comforts  of  devotion?  And  may  you  not  justly  expect  to 
be  still  more  exposed  to  this,  in  a situation  so  much  less  favorable 
to  devotion? — Far  be  it  from  me  to  say  any  thing  to  dishearten 
you.  But  1 do  wish  you  to  have  a deep,  abiding  impression,  that 


35 


through  the  whole  course  of  missionary  service,  you  will  stand 
in  constant  need  of  the  grace  of  Christ,  to  enable  you  to  maintain 
the  character  of  devout,  exemplary  Christians. — Fix  it  in  your 
minds,  then,  that  cultivating  your  own  piety  and  exhibiting  a life  of 
holiness , will  be  the  most  difficult  part  of  your  enterprise.  It  will 
require  the  highest  effort,  the  hardest  struggle,  the  most  constant 
warfare.  And  it  will  require  most  aid  from  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Now,  my  dear  brethren,  if  in  consequence  of  any  difficulties  or 
temptations  which  may  occur,  you  should  lose  the  humble, 
watchful,  heavenly  spirit  of  the  Gospel;  if  you  should  cease  to 
take  care  of  your  own  souls,  and  lose  your  concern  for  the  souls 
of  others,  and  conform  to  any  of  the  sinful  practices  of  the  world; 
the  thousands  of  Israel,  who  now  love  you  and  have  confidence 
in  you,  would  blush  and  be  ashamed;  and  the  remembrance  of 
this  interesting  day,  and  of  the  hopes  and  joys  it  inspired,  would 
be  turned  into  sadness. 

Forgive  me,  dear  young  men,  for  such  a suggestion  as  this, 
which  is  by  no  means  intended  to  occasion  pain  or  discourage- 
ment.— I do  indeed  know  the  imbecility  of  man,  and  the  incon- 
stancy and  treachery  of  the  heart.  And  I know  that  you  may  be 
exposed  to  many  and  powerful  causes  of  unfaithfulness,  and  even 
apostasy.  But  1 know  too,  that  Christ  your  Saviour  is  Almighty, 
and  his  grace  ALL-surFiciENT.  You  can  be  exposed  to  no  tempta- 
tion or  danger,  from  which  he  cannot  shield  you;  you  can  be 
called  to  no  duty,  for  which  he  cannot  strengthen  you;  and  to  no 
hardship  or  suffering,  which  he  cannot  help  you  cheerfully  to 
endure.  1 charge  yoir,  then,  let  your  heart  be  fixed,  trusting  in 
God.  Lay  hold  on  his  everlasting  strength.  Look  to  him  for 
grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need.  Pray  always  with  all 
prayer  and  supplication  in  the  spirit.  Do  this,  and  the  Lord  will 
be  with  you  always,  and  enable  you  to  preach  the  Gospel  faithful- 
ly. Do  this,  and  he  will  make  you  successful  in  your  work,  and 
give  you  many  seals  of  your  ministry. — Do  this,  and  it  will  ever 
be  to  my  heart  a subject  of  the  most  pleasing  recollection,  that 
I once  sustained  so  near  a relation  to  you,  and  that  after  having 
been  called  by  divine  Providence  to  assist  you  in  your  theological 
studies,  I had  the  privilege  of  addressing  to  you  this  solemn 
charge. — Finally,  beloved  youth,  as  you  are  now  publicly  set 
apart  to  this  benevolent,  holy  office,  and  are  about  to  enter  on 


36 


the  arduous,  untried  labors  of  missionaries  to  the  heathen;  re- 
ceive, from  one  who  feels  towards  you  all  the  tenderness  of 
parental  love,  this  last  and  most  affectionate  exhortation.  Be 
constant  and  fervent  in  prayer;  be  humble , holy , and  heavenly  in 
your  life;  and  be  earnest  and  faithful  in  your  endeavors , to  make 
known  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  Then  will  your  blessed 
Lord  be  glorified;  sinners  will  be  converted;  and  saints  and  angels 
will  rejoice. 


RIGHT  HAND  OF  FELLOWSHIP, 

BY  HORATIO  BARDWELL, 

Pastor  of  a Church  of  Christ  in  Holden , Mass 


The  Christian  minister,  though  an  earthen  vessel,  bears  a heav- 
enly treasure;  and  his  office  is  immensely  interesting  and  impor- 
tant. To  surmount  all  the  difficulties,  and  to  discharge  all  the 
duties,  connected  with  this  sacred  trust,  demand  superior  attain- 
ments in  wisdom  and  piety.  But  when  we  add  to  the  responsi- 
bilities of  an  ordinary  minister  of  the  Gospel,  those  of  a Christian 
Missionary,  justly  may  we  exclaim,  “Who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things!” 

But  this  office,  mv  beloved  Brethren,  with  all  its  responsibili- 
ties, you  have  deliberately  chosen.  The  solemn  exercises  of 
this  day  ratify  your  choice  and  separate  you  to  the  work.  You 
are  now  appointed  to  bear  the  treasure  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
ignorant  and  superstitious;  to  those  who  are  in  the  grossest 
moral  darkness.  In  accomplishing  this  ministry,  you  are  indeed 
to  be  separated  from  many  social  and  religious  privileges;  but  you 
are  not  to  be  exiled  from  the  affections,  or  denied  the  sympathies 
of  your  Christian  friends. 

You  go  on  an  embassy  in  behalf  of  the  churches — an  embassy 
in  which  they  feel  no  ordinary  interest.  As  a pledge  of  this,  I 
am  authorized  to  give  you  this  right  hand  of  our  Christian  and 
ministerial  fellowship.  Receive  this  as  a token  that  we  acknowl- 
edge you  as  members  of  our  Fathers  family,  and  as  co-workers 
together  with  us  in  the  ministry  of  reconciliation. 

We  hereby  publicly  express  our  approbation  of  your  calling 
and  destination.  We  avow  ourselves  the  friends  of  missions  and 
of  Missionaries;  and  we  pledge  ourselves,  under  Providence,  for 
your  support, 


38 


We  cannot  indeed  interchange  with  you  all  those  offices  of 
ministerial  fellowship,  which  are  customary  with  pastors  and 
churches  in  the  same  neighborhood;  but  though  absent  in  body,  4 
we  will  be  with  you  in  spirit;  we  will  sympathize  with  you  in 
your  sorrows;  we  will  rejoice  with  you  in  your  joys.  The 
work,  to  which  you  are  consecrated,  subjects  you  to  untried 
sacrifices,  toils  and  perils;  and  we  acknowledge  ourselves  under 
sacred  obligations  to  share  them  with  you,  so  far  as  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  are  placed  will  admit. 

We  are  not  insensible,  that  the  standard  of  Missionary  charac- 
ter is  high.  The  Christian  public  demand  much  of  you.  They 
expect  that  you  will  take,  cheerfully,  the  spoiling  of  your  goods; 
and  that  you  will  count  all  things  as  dross,  that  you  may  fulfil  the 
ministry  with  which  you  are  entrusted.  If  they  see  you  hesita- 
ting, and  looking  back  with  regret,  upon  the  endearments  of  your 
native  soil,  and  the  privileges  of  Christian  society;  if  they  see 
you  shrinking  from  the  self-denials  and  toils,  inseparably  connect- 
ed with  your  undertaking;  they  will  say  that  you  had  better  stay 
at  home,  and  leave  the  work  to  others,  who  are  more  apostolic 
in  their  feelings  and  habits. 

The  churches  which  send  you  forth  to  the  heathen,  expect 
that  you  will  give  yourselves  wholly  to  this  work:— that  you  will 
not  suffer  your  minds,  or  your  hands,  to  be  employed  in  devising 
and  executing  plans  for  supplying  the  future  wants  of  your  per- 
sons or  families.  They  expect  that  you  will  govern  yourselves 
by  a system  of  polity,  which,  at  once  annihilates  individual  inter- 
est, only  as  it  exists  in  the  welfare  of  the  Missionary  community. 
Associated  with  persons  of  different  feelings  and  habits  from  your 
own,  they  expect  you,  in  an  eminent  sense,  to  become  all  things 
to  all  men;  to  oppose  every  feeling  and  every  habit  injurious  to 
the  interests  of  the  mission.  They  expect  you,  to  take  your 
lives  in  your  hands,  to  brave  every  difficulty  and  every  danger, 
and  meet  death  in  whatever  time,  place  or  form,  Providence  may 
appoint.  In  a word,  they  expect,  that  you  will  devote  your- 
selves soul  and  body,  a willing  sacrifice  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
among  the  heathen. 

Are  these  requisitions  of  the  Christian  public, — are  these  expec- 
tations of  the  churches,  unreasonable?  Is  more  demanded  than  you 


39 


can  consistently  give?  No,  brethren,  your  Master  in  heaven, 
whose  yoke  is  easy  and  whose  burden  is  light,  demands  all  this. 

But  while  we  require  so  much  of  you,  we  are  not  insensible 
that  we  are  placing  ourselves  under  solemn  obligations  to  make 
corresponding  sacrifices  for  the  promotion  of  the  same  cause. 
The  principles  of  our  holy  profession,  and  the  dictates  of  Chris- 
tian leeling,  forbid  us  to  bind  heavy  burdens  upon  the  shoulders  of 
our  brethren,  and  refuse  to  touch  them  with  one  of  our  fingers. 

We  acknowledge  that  the  command  of  Christ  “to  disciple  all 
nations”  is  binding  not  only  on  you  as  missionaries,  but  on  us,  and 
on  our  churches. — It  is  a work  of  common  interest,  and  of  suffi- 
cient magnitude  to  employ  our  combined  and  unceasing  efforts. 

We  can  make  sacrifices,  and  great  sacrifices,  as  well  as  you, 
for  the  promotion  of  this  cause: — And  by  what  precept  of  the 
Gospel,  or  by  what  rule  of  Christian  equity  we  can  justify  our- 
selves in  yielding  only  a pittance,  while  we  require  you  to  give 
up  all,  we  know  not. — Our  Master  in  heaven  is  no  respecter  of 
persons. 

Brethren,  we  acknowledge  that  you  have  as  high  claims  to  the 
comforts  and  immunities  of  civilized  and  Christian  society,  as  we 
have: — and  while  we  require  you  to  renounce  all,  for  Christ’s 
sake,  we  will  never  forget  those  corresponding  obligations  that 
rest  upon  us:  No;  we  will  urge  them  upon  the  churches, — we 
will  teach  our  children,  by  the  fire  side,  how  they  may  bear 
your  burdens,  alleviate  your  sorrows  and  share  in  your  toils. 

But  your  enjoyment  and  your  success  as  Missionaries  of  Jesus 
Christ  depend  on  higher  aid  than  we  can  afford  you.  If  God  grant 
you  the  privilege  of  seeing  his  work  prosper  in  your  hands,  you 
will  forget  all  your  sacrifices  and  your  toils.  But  if,  after  many 
years  of  unremitting  labor,  in  the  western  wilderness,  or  in  the 
eastern  world,  you  are  compelled  to  exclaim,  Who  hath  believed 
our  report,  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed? 
then  will  you  feel  the  trials  of  the  missionary  life — then  will  you 
need,  and  then  may  you  receive,  strength  and  consolation  from  on 
high. 

When,  amidst  the  discouragements  of  your  self-denying  work,  a 
desponding  thought  arises  in  your  breasts,  appropriate  to  your- 
selves that  last,  that  precious  promise  of  your  ascended  Redeemer, 
“Lo,  I am  with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.” 


40 


That  you  and  your  beloved  companions  may  experience  the 
fulfilment  of  this  promise;  that  you  may  be  eminently  successful 
in  your  benevolent  enterprise,  we  will  not  cease  to  remember 
you  in  our  prayers.  When,  with  our  families,  we  offer  the  even- 
ing and  morning  sacrifice,  we  will  remember  you.  When  we 
conduct  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary,  we  will  lead  forth  the  in- 
Ji  tercessions  of  the  “great  congregations”  in  your  behalf: — and 
especially,  when,  with  the  multitude  of  our  Christian  brethren, 
we  unite  in  monthly  concert,  we  will  plead  the  promises  of  God 
for  your  perseverance,  happiness  and  success. 

Brethren,  while  we  sorrow  most  of  all  in  the  expectation  that 
we  shall  see  your  faces  no  more  in  the  flesh; — while  we  tenderly 
sympathize  with  you  in  all  those  trials  appended  to  your  work; 
we  cannot  but  view  your  prospects  with  pleasure.  There  is 
that  in  the  Missionary  enterprise,  divested  of  all  the  charm,  that 
is  thrown  around  it  by  the  applause  of  the  Christian  community, 
which  affords  the  purest  satisfaction.  Through  the  remaining 
part  of  jour  days,  may  this  happiness  be  yours.  Never  may  you 
be  necessitated  to  leave  the  work,  on  which  your  hearts  and 
hopes  are  fixed,  till  the  great  Lord  of  the  vineyard,  shall  call  you 
home  to  heaven! 

Go  forward,  then,  with  the  dear  companions  of  your  life,  and 
associates  in  your  work, — go  forward  to  your  work,  in  the  fulness 
of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  peace. — “The  Brethren,  who  are 
with  us,  greet  you.  All  the  churches  salute  you.  The  grace  of 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you.”  Amen. 


